Platforms such as Twitter and Facebook come with a pretty steep learning curve – certainly when used for business marketing – and to maximize return on investment it’s essential that you implement a winning strategy.

It's important for businesses to select the right individuals to manage social channels and to use specific metrics to analyze feedback and success.

Learn more about social media strategies from this infographic, which presents an 8-step strategy for successful social media marketing...

While there has been a lot of talk surrounding how businesses should be developing for mobile and adapting to all new mediums, it looks like B2B companies are concentrating on the basics and getting them right first.

According to research from eMarketer, the majority of digital strategies are increasing spending on their websites with 70.1% of respondents saying it was a priority. Email marketing (61.9%) and social media (56%) were placed second and third on the list. When asked what the leading content marketing channels were, websites came out on top with 93% of respondents selecting it while social media came second with 65.4%.

For the most part, this is encouraging news. It shows that companies wish to focus on the basics and get them right first. A good website is still the foundation for a good online presence and having that optimised first is important. It also shows that social media is growing in importance as a way of generating sales....

In 2012 there was a mad rush from companies to understand the value of social in all its complexities. What could social media do? What value could it provide? How could the company engage with its users? As a result there have been numerous traditional agencies suddenly becoming digital marketing specialists and providing their clients with complete social strategies.

There have been promises of guaranteed followers, likes and shares which may or may not have been achieved. There was (and still is) so much jargon that many businesses were sucked into the social media marketing black hole. Please note that many of those were successful and marketing teams breathed a sigh of relief as Directors, CEOs and other high-ranking officials nodded their heads in appreciation of the high number of followers, likes and shares.

However, unlike their marketing counter parts, these high rankers have a goal that must be met – ROI. Return on investment is difficult to measure from a social media perspective. What is the value of a like, follow or share? Can it be equated to the lowest possible sale value of a single unit of product? No – because for every 10 likes only one user purchased the product! This is just an example, but remains true in essence....

Play it right and loyal, engaged customers will create high-quality content for you in a variety of ways on the web, without being paid. (#ForbesTech ...#SocialMediaMarketing: How to turn satisfied customers into 'Brand Advocates'...

The Web has opened up lines of communication that were previously closed for the vast majority of the world. Anyone with an Internet connection can now head online and talk to someone on the other side of the world using any one of a range of different services. Social networking sites such asFacebook, Twitter, and Google+ are the obvious options.

There is unfortunately a tendency to abuse these new lines of communication, by expressing opinions that would be best kept unsaid, attacking people that may or may not deserve it, spreading salacious gossip, or posting inappropriate content. What is often and easily forgotten is that it’s entirely possible to get banned from social networks, with some rules applying across the board, and others that individual sites have put in place.

I know it's not the end of the world if you're banned from a social network. But, if it's your business platform, then the situation may be more complicated.

Finally the rules are simple and logical, but it's useful to knows them.

Have you ever been banned from a social media platform? Me yes, from Twitter, a few years ago because I activated a tool that automatically followed people according to their interests and the region where they lived. It was not a good idea ... but after a few emails with Twitter they realized that it was more clumsy than an intention to do wrong and they reactivated my account. Phew ...

One of the least appreciated, of many of the hats worn by most small business owners, is that of being the brand manager for their business.

Finding time to do the work necessary to effectively build a brand, and then create sufficient brand awareness in the market, is tough at the best of times and almost impossible if you lack the know how.

This excellent article, explains exactly what brand awareness is and why it is important, and it provides a range of tips that any business owner can utilise to build awareness of their own business brand.

One of the biggest failings of small business owners, is their lack of attention to a key component that underpins business success, that being the building of a proper, well documented, business system.

The benefits that flow to a business that takes the time and effort, to properly create and document their business system, are vast and the costs incurred over the long term to those businesses that don't, are equally vast.

This excellent article, identifies the most critical elements of a business system, and makes a strong case for making the development of a proper business system a priority for any business.

Business owners, are usually the face of their businesses when it comes to networking and promotional activities, and as such they need to ensure that people they interact with remember both them and their business long after the initial encounter.

Improving one's understanding the importance of being memorable, and taking action to improve one's memorability, are actions that every business owner can take to assist their business to be more successful.

This excellent article, suggests that if people don't remember you after events, they are unlikely to want to do business with you, and it then provides five tips to make yourself more memorable in future face-to-face meetings.

Business owners, are usually the face of their businesses when it comes to networking and promotional activities, and as such they need to ensure that people they interact with remember both them and their business long after the initial encounter.

Improving one's understanding the importance of being memorable, and taking action to improve one's memorability, are actions that every business owner can take to assist their business to be more successful.

This excellent article, suggests that if people don't remember you after events, they are unlikely to want to do business with you, and it then provides five tips to make yourself more memorable in future face-to-face meetings.

"Search engine optimization has not been dependent on a minimal number of factors for a long time now, such as number of times a keyword appeared on a page, and it continues to become a more complex"...

Social networks are captivating – there’s no doubt. The minds behind building the popular social media platforms of today knew exactly what they were doing and they saw it before any of us ever did. It’s a brilliant idea really – create a medium that allows people from all over the world to connect, share and collaborate like they never have been able to before in the history of the Earth. Incredible!

But an unforeseen (or potentially foreseen, but ignored) consequence is addiction. Social networks have been so good at “helping” us, but now they’re hindering us. From what you might ask? Well, ask your friends, family, parents, even children what they think. And although it is often joked about, it isn’t a joking matter.

Does a bestselling author have more to say than someone who has written a brilliant book that didn't sell? Does a tenured professor at Yale deserve more credence than someone doing breakthrough work at a local state school? ...For physical goods, a trusted brand name certainly increases the likelihood of purchase, because the risk is lower. We figure that Nabisco is less likely to sell us an unflavorful dust cookie than some unknown brand at the health food store. For a new flavor, the brand makes it an easier choice. An idea is different, though, because the only apparent cost is the time it takes to hear it. (That's not really true, of course)....

SEO isn’t what it used to be. Ninety percent of marketers think content will become more important in 2013. Google has become more sensible, and has wised up to the black magic that SEO agencies were practicing.

"SEO isn’t what it used to be. Ninety percent of marketers think content will become more important in 2013. Google has become more sensible, and has wised up to the black magic that SEO agencies were practicing".

Did you know that 36 percent of people surveyed in a recent poll admitted to posting TV or movie spoilers onto their favourite social media sites?

What if I told you that one in ten social networkers have been unfriended due to their prolific posting of political content, one in four Facebook users intentionally post status updates that are so vague that their friends are compelled to ask for more detail, and that almost a full quarter (24 percent) of young men admit to creeping on an ex’s social media profile at least once a month?....

"Big businesses are savvy now and they’re throwing more money into production. If you want to be competitive, you’ve got to have some skills.

In order to create videos that are going to be worth your audience’s time, you (or a team) are going to need to have a solid handle on at least these 5 areas:

1) Storytelling/Writing

Without a basic understanding of how to tell a story, there is no way you’re going to make a video that’s worth watching.

Being a good writer is not as essential to being a good storyteller, which is why some unscripted talking to the webcam videos can work, but it is certainly essential if your story isn’t compelling enough on it’s own.

Good storytelling is the foundational element that separates the competent videos from everything else.

2) Editing

One thing I can say with the utmost sincerity is good video is more about what’s taken out than what’s left in.

Editing is the most frustrating, most time consuming, most rewarding experience.

It happens in two phases:

- Pre-Production...

- Post-production...

3) Composition

The Rule of Thirds is the basic building block for video composition and is an even older component in that visual language we were talking about earlier.

If your video involves complex movement and editing, you need to storyboard to organize your thoughts.

4) Networking

But in my experience, I’ve found that the best networking for showing off your videos happens in person.

5) A Basic Understanding of SEO

Basic SEO deals with the findability of your content, but I put this component last because assumptions are too often made that if your video is findable, then it’s going to convert.

This couldn’t be any further than the truth. If your video is good, it’s going to convert. If it’s findable, that’s just icing on the cake.

Sometimes when we don’t understand the true potential of something, we tell ourselves it doesn’t matter. And then we come up with all sorts of reasons as to why it doesn’t matter to justify our in action.

Sharing your scoops to your social media accounts is a must to distribute your curated content. Not only will it drive traffic and leads through your content, but it will help show your expertise with your followers.

Integrating your curated content to your website or blog will allow you to increase your website visitors’ engagement, boost SEO and acquire new visitors. By redirecting your social media traffic to your website, Scoop.it will also help you generate more qualified traffic and leads from your curation work.

Distributing your curated content through a newsletter is a great way to nurture and engage your email subscribers will developing your traffic and visibility.
Creating engaging newsletters with your curated content is really easy.